Look what we found on our doorstep this morning!
Mmmm....fresh
We've done the CSA thing a couple times.
What's CSA? Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, local farmers provide produce weekly, which you pay {generally, a hefty price} to receive a share of.
I always enjoy getting the produce. It's great to always have veggies {and sometimes fruits} available, and it feel right to support our local farmers.
The drawback is, you typically end up with a LOT of the likes of kale and Swiss chard, especially towards the end of the season. I've tried multiple recipes with these greens and never found something that I actually like to eat. I usually just choke it down because we paid buco-bucks for the stuff!
Whenever people come around with sign-up sheets for these CSAs, we contemplate....and then ultimately decline due to the high $$$ tag and the inevitable kale overload. So what made this time different?
I'll tell you.
We were enjoying a sunny weekend afternoon. We had come inside the house to feed Rowan a mid-day snack. All the doors to our house were open, letting the outdoor air freshen out senses. Buddy was quiet {for a change}, Domino was laying lazily on his bed. It was about as perfect of a scene as you'll see in our house. But we're not dummies. The baby gate was up in the front door. The baby gate is always up if the door is open. Why? Well, we have a baby, duh. And we have a dog. A dog who likes to go outside. But he's a {fairly} good dog and he doesn't breech the baby gate....at least not usually....
Out of nowhere, our bliss was suddenly ended when the doorbell rang! There was no one to be seen, not even a shadow, but Domino was up off his bed and over the gate faster than lightening! His loud bark piercing the neighborhood's ears. Roger followed quickly behind, "Domino, get back here!"
But it was too late. He was gone. Chasing a young man down our driveway like a Hell Hound on a witch hunt.
The poor guy was booking it as fast as his legs could take him. {Imagine those cartoons where the body is leaning backwards and the legs are just a circular blur}.
"Don't Run!" yelled Roger to the hunted. Good advice, but not taken. Seriously, who wouldn't run from 80lb's of lean muscle, big teeth, and greyhound legs?
After a split second of madness, Domino returned to the house. D never followed the young man past our driveway. When he reached the end of our lot, he turned around and came home, thinking he had done his duty. Like I said, he is a
fairly good dog...or at least he tries to be.
Roger literally threw Domino in the back yard, and ran down the street to see how the young man was fairing. He found him halfway down the block, sitting on the curb with his head in his hands, still trying to catch his breath.
"You okay?" Roger asked, "I can't tell you how sorry I am. What are you selling?"
And that's how we ended up with this CSA delivery.
But hey, at least it wasn't magazines or something lame. And this one actually delivers! Last time, we had to go pick up. Kinda nice when you have a newborn on the way. Interested in this CSA?
Go here.
After a profuse apology and a plea that it would may be good for everyone, the young man, Sam, agreed to come back to the house and meet Domino, who, this time, greeted him with a sheepish look, wagging nub {he doesn't have a tail}, and plenty of licks in an attempt to say "I'm sorry". We talked for a while about Sam's past experience with dogs, and we apologized over and over, knowing very well, that he'd be scarred for life thanks to our over-protective dog.
It all ended OK. Thank goodness. Obviously with some pros and cons in between.
Of course, this wasn't the finest dog-parent moment. Nothing to brag about.... But we have to chuckle a little because this was one of many heart-stopping events in Domino's life resume. Events that both test our patience and endear him to us. If you don't know Domino, before you go thinking we're not suitable dog owners, try to refrain from judging too harshly. I think we do a pretty good job. Dom's not vicious, and he's probably better behaved than most household dogs, but he's not an easy dog. He's close to his instincts and always will be. Most people probably would've given up on him a long time ago, {in fact, someone did, and that's how we got him in the first place}.
Want to see more about Domino and our other crazy animals?
Here ya go!
Now, to figure out what to make with the Swiss chard in our box ;)
